Written by: Delvin K.
It’s difficult to put into words the joy and indescribable relief you feel when one of your favorite bands from your childhood reforms and releases new music. This feeling transcends orgasm, and while some of you are looking at me with a look that suggests that I may never have experienced it, you are absolutely right! a-ha is the next group to help revive the boy band concept. During their hay days, the three-piece outdid all their predecessors, becoming one of the biggest boy bands in Europe. After hitting #1 many times across the world with undeniably hooky songs and plenty of boy-next-door charm, we are just glad to have them back.
And I find it quite a coincidence that two of the most crucial bands of the 1980s, a-ha and New Order, are releasing music again. Will we survive this musical onslaught from some of the most important and definitive collections…even if we don’t, we will go down happy and satisfied. No doubt, it’s a great time to be alive!
If you are having one of those days where nothing is quite working for you, maybe you should consider listening to a certain 12-piece collection themed, “True North”—if you might have forgotten what real music sounded like, this is your chance to feel alive again. In true echo of the title, a-ha take you on the real direction to musical satisfaction.
I have been listening to this album all day, went to sleep on it, played it in my dreams, woke up to it, and now I am feeling quite much like superman…is DC still looking for someone to fill that role after they unceremoniously ousted Henry Cavill?, if they are, I feel like I am the man – they might have just found their next big break thanks to “True North”
With a collection like this that undeniably meets and surpasses those timeless standards, you’d expect it to be extremely hard to choose a favorite or few favorites, and that is exactly the case. From the deep and haunting, “Between The Halo And The Horn” to the vibrant “Hunter In The Hills” and the meaningful “Forest For The Trees”, this collection has got everything you’d imagine in the realms of pop paradise.
Organic, raw, emotionally thrilling, and transcendent, a-ha’s sonic universe of infectious, guitar driven, clever audio design, and at times hypnotic landscapes is a hinterland of meticulous pop music that draws on beat-driven, sometimes nostalgic, and other times cheerful ambient rhythms, with a-ha continuing in the path of mixing listener friendly, chill pop with hypnotic rhythms that turn into a maelstrom of ear-worming pop melodies with universal appeal.
Is it just me, or is Morten Harket’s voice one of the most beautiful voices of our time? His voice has gotten so much better with age; it’s beautifully angelic and one that really has aged like fine wine.
Delvin K.
Even for an undeniably ear-grabbing and heartwarming tune like, “Between The Halo And The Horn,” Morten’s voice elevates it and makes it sound magical!
“Forest For The Trees” takes you to another dimension, and the title track features beautiful lyrics, which in turn make it an indescribably beautiful song.
If you think this is it for a-ha, then you’ve not heard of what they have in store for us next; their debut album, “Hunting High And Low,” is being reissued as a 6LP super deluxe box set including demos, extended versions, and alternate mixes across 60 tracks on the 24th of February 2023.
I’ve been haunting high and low for this (I’ve always wanted to say this!) This is another one-of-a-kind chance we get to listen and dream with this upcoming release, and I’m head over heels for it!
For now, it would be bad manners if we were here talking about their next project and you hadn’t caught a glimpse of their comeback album. I suggest you take a listen to “Forest For The Trees” and let yourself be transported to a musical dimension that only a-ha can create. Spotify album below and the Official Video from YouTube!
